Herman Moore stood in the end zone, his 6-foot-4 frame stretched as far as it would go. He squeezed the ball above his head, just the way he had caught it.
At his feet, Dewayne Washington slumped to the turf.Take a picture. That was the moment to remember Sunday.
Moore's 1-yard alley-oop touchdown catch over Washington with three seconds left gave the Detroit Lions a 14-13 victory over the Minnesota Vik-ings.
Playing with torn ligaments in the bottom of his left foot and a dislocated finger on each hand, injuries that made him a question mark until game time, Moore still made the difference as Detroit (8-7) continued its late-season playoff push.
"I said, `This is our play. This is the play for our season,' " Moore said of his thoughts before the deciding TD. "There was no way I was going to allow anything to take that away if I was given the opportunity."
It was the fourth win in five games for the Lions, who need only to beat the Jets at home in their final game to qualify after a 4-6 start under first-year coach Bobby Ross. Even if they lose, the Lions still can qualify if Washington or Minnesota also lose.
"There's some true character on this team, and I think sometimes that gets lost in the mistakes we've made," said kicker Jason Hanson, who uncharacteristically missed two field goals. "But it's there and it surfaced.
"And there might have been a time in the past when that wouldn't have happened at the end. But (Sunday) it did, and I don't think anybody's surprised."
The Vikings (8-7) were stunned. Their fifth straight loss was the toughest to take.
Minnesota's revamped defense, with four rookies starting for the first time in team history, contained the Lions all afternoon until the final drive. It wouldn't even have come down to a final drive if Eddie Murray hadn't missed a 37-yard field goal attempt with 1:56 remaining.
Still, Minnesota's playoff fortunes are virtually identical to Detroit's: Beat Indianapolis at home and the Vikings are in; lose and they still can make it if Washington loses.
Pro Bowl tackle John Randle, playing mostly at right end because of injuries, led Minnesota's shuffled defense with three sacks. The Vikings did allow Barry Sanders his NFL-record 13th consecutive 100-yard game, but most of Sanders' 138 yards had little impact on the game.
Surprisingly, Minnesota's biggest concern is its offense, which generated just two first downs and 14 yards passing after building a 13-7 halftime lead.
Detroit's Pro Bowl receiver spent most of last week on crutches and was getting treatment in the locker room as the Vikings' starting offense was being announced before the game.
He was virtually useless on the left side of the formation because of his foot, and often took himself out if a play called for him to make a cut to his right.
But with the game on the line, he played through the pain, leaping for a 20-yard catch two plays before his winning catch.